


Just Abit More

by Duskcae



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Sickfic, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9910652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duskcae/pseuds/Duskcae
Summary: When the Advisor’s health is compromised, he isn’t one to sit back and do nothing during their downtime, not when Niflheim is biting on their tracks. The royal title is more than just a decoration and the education he was imparted for, is more than a fancy resume to add onto his portfolio. Somewhat canon storyline with alot of dialogue and friendship explored.





	1. 01

Since the past weeks, the forces became more frequent, to an unusual level. Despite this, the Magitek troops served as training practice for Noctis when the young Prince obtained the first few sacred weapons left by the old Kings. Camping would be out of the question as while the oracle runes may have covered their presence when residing in the haven, as soon as they got out of the spell’s protective shelter, they would have to deal with the Magitek troops that have swarmed the perimeter. Prompto once joked about driving the Regalia into one of the havens, he earned a glare from the driver.

Under the hot late afternoon sun, their bodies glistened with sweat and strained from tired muscles. Occasionally being prickled by the harshness of the cold spell that Noctis would cast and give a temporary relief from the heat and  slowed the enemy’s movement. They were only supposed to handle a hunt in the morning then take their leave to claim the bounty, but the troops decided to drop in and before they could finish them off, Niflheim decided to drop in the MAX-Patria. They were clearly not prepared for this, the mecha was still on its legs when the next Magitek ship arrived with another squadron of troops. A change of gameplan grew in battle when the mecha proved a formidable and durable enemy. Noctis would break away from the group so he could clear off the Magitek troops quickly before they could become a factor in their defeat and the process would rinse and repeat two more times.

It had taken them almost the entire day when the MAX-Patria had started to weakened, Ignis pointed out a vulnerable spot that one of them could maximise their strike to the fullest potential. It was more than enough, Noctis called out. 'Prompto, now!' Another echo of a loud boom and Noctis followed up with strike as the final blow on the MAX-Patria’s joint. He warped clear away with the rest before it self-destructed.

‘Finally..’ Noctis dropped down to the grassy earth, sighing with relief and wiping the sweat. ‘Iggy, we need alot of meat tonight. I don’t care anymore as long as I have a nice big fat chunk of meat on my plate, I’ll gladly defeat the next wave of these in the morning.’ Their potions were depleted by the end, with the sun dipping on the horizon and painting the sky a lovely shade of pink and orange. As if the nature itself was rewarding them for their efforts, there was a cool strong breeze that spread across the landscape and Noctis allowed himself a moment of respite to admire the view now that the battle was over.

Prompto laughed and fell face flat on the grass with a dramatic exasperation, ‘We really used up alot of those feathers, didn’t we?’

‘We’ll use lesser next time and I want triple servings too.’ Gladiolus started to inspect the ruins of the forsaken mecha, trying to find something of value to salvage.

Noctis sighed, smiling at least, ‘We made it out alive didn’t we?’ He stared up at the sky, thinking back to pinpoint how they could be located easily by Niflheim. The Regalia was meticulously inspected several times over, then followed by accessories and equipment out of small paranoia. Nothing.

A soft coughing sound caught his attention and Noctis turned to find the source. ‘Ignis?’ Ignis was sitting down with his back facing the prince and hunched over, inapt of the advisor’s usual posture. A hand grasp gently on Ignis’s shoulder when the fits of cough grew louder, it was enough to worry the prince and enough to worry the other two. Gladiolus’s footstep could be heard approaching from Noctis’s left, close enough but maintaining distance between the two of them.  

Ignis turned to the prince, the sunset had masked his color but not his heavy breathing and how he moved his hand away from his rib when Noctis shifted closer to face him. His jacket and patterned shirt may conceal his overheated body but out of the three, Ignis was sweating the most. ‘A pinch of lax on my part and I took a hit... I’m alright, otherwise.’ He closed his eyes, trying to wave off Noctis, he retrieved a black handkerchief to wipe away the sweat that drenched his face.‘Just... give me a moment to catch my breath...’ They had seen Ignis hit a boulder when a missile came too close, but so does everyone. Injuries incurred in battle would recover easily afterwards but Ignis seemed to have trouble recovering with his.

‘It’s more than just that,’ Noctis frowned. The lack of outposts in the region meant they had to remain in the Regalia as their temporary resting quarters. Easy to deploy at a moment’s notice of the Magitek’s arrival. Noctis was assured that Ignis had taken power naps in between, something which the prince berated himself mentally for believing.

When Ignis did not protest, Noctis instinctively placed his hand on Ignis’s forehead, it was hot to the touch and the fresh layer of sweat that coated his skin was cold. ‘We need to find you a place to rest,’ Noctis frowned, the heat wasn’t just from the sun, Ignis had fell sick before.

‘I took the medicine,’ Ignis pulled away from Noctis and started to stand.

‘I’m sure you took only two.’ Noctis noticed the small waver from the Advisor before he righted himself.

‘It is the recommended dosage unless you want me to drive us off a cliff?’ The ranchor tone leaked in on Ignis’s words, though if anything, it was to dissuade the Prince’s worry of the Advisor’s state of health. ‘That will surely prevented the Niflheim from finding us permanently.’

Noctis rose to his feet, his eyes met with Ignis, whom returned with a prideful glare, the Advisor was always relied on and always in control of any situation. ‘I’m driving.’ Noctis said. Beneath the exterior of a young Prince, supple in demeanour, belied a trait of royalty that he was fully aware of and only used when necessary. Ignis knew this, sometimes prodding on the young man ocassionally to bring out the fire more and sometimes the Prince does so.

But Ignis’s vision was starting to blot, rotating the landscape in a slight angle which urged the Advisor to follow the same way except he did not. He remained still and he was mustering just enough mental control to not alarm the others, not when their transport is nowhere near. So he conceded to the Prince, ‘As you wish.’ The usual color drained from his voice, Ignis shut his eyes when Noctis turned away. The stinging pain on his left rib will heal, but for now it was adding on to his state. He kept his hands to his side, not touching the ribs and only gritted through his teeth when he felt his head wavered slightly.

‘Gladio, Prompto, stay with him,’ Noctis started jogging. They had parked slightly further away this time, in the tunnels to prevent two scenarios; a bombing or attack on the Regalia itself and the Regalia being stolen. Both of which thankfully none from Niflheim had the foresight to realise it. Yet.

‘You really do need rest.’ Gladiolus looked at Ignis.

Ignis took a slow deep breath, frowning at Gladiolus, ‘I’m not..’ He tightened his jaw and turned to stare at Prompto that had appeared by his side. ‘..going to argue.’

The gunner raised both hands, taking a step back. ‘Not going to push it either,’

The three crossed the plains to get to the side of the road to wait for Noctis, Gladiolus kept to Ignis’s pace and Prompto walked in front and taking point. They had went through such formation arrangement in the event one of them would be incapacitated or became vulnerable. This was usually on either Noctis, Prompto or Gladiolus but Ignis did not argue of the layout, himself. He was starting to struggle with his composure as they walked, each step became a heavy effort whenever he entered into a coughing fit and causing the bruise on his side to swell.Their early childhood years have developed a mutual understanding with each other, knowing when to respect personal space and boundaries. Both Gladiolus and Prompto knew that mothering him would be a indignant smear of pride just because Ignis showed signs of vulnerability. So they were willing to remain silent as long as he is compliant. They were almost reaching and Ignis could hear the rumble of the Regalia, they just needed to cover a few more metres. Just a few more.

Then came the sound of the Magitek ship from the distance, the unearthly mechanical thunder that rolled acrossed the tangerine atmosphere and just as Ignis dreaded when he looked up, the ship was coming in fast.

His body warned him that he was shutting down.

He wanted to hold out a little longer, at least until they reached the safety of the Regalia but all he could see right now was blots of darkness swallowing his vision, his sense of movement unhinged and the strong pull of gravity swept below his feet. He tried to keep himself upright, just a few more seconds. But as his desperate grasp of his bearings of the earth was lost, Gladiolus’s name escaped from his lips in a whisper before the next wave of hacking assaulted his lungs.

‘I’ve got you.’ Gladiolus was quick, securing Ignis easily with one arm who could only give in to the hard coughing fit that hit him until it had done its course of damage. Prompto was sprinting forward, waving at Noctis to hurry.

‘How is he?’ Noctis pulled the Regalia over.

‘Bad.’ Prompto opened the rear door for Gladiolus, Ignis was breathing heavily in the Shield’s arms, breathless from earlier. ‘Better step on it, Noct. Magitek ship incoming.’ Gladiolus removed Ignis’s glasses before dumping the Advisor unceremoniously on the backseat. There was no time for cringing, no time for apologising, the moment Prompto had closed the door, they were off.

‘Where’s the nearest outpost?’ Noctis changed gears, applying pressure on the pedal. The Regalia growled louder and picked up speed, trees and bushes whizzed past them in a blur.

‘4 miles,’ Prompto said. ‘We need to lose them or they’ll know where we’ll be.’

The Magitek ship followed closely behind them. Noctis’s finger tightened on the steering wheel, his eyes narrowed in a tight frown.

‘Gladio, hold Iggy tight. I’m driving off the road.’

‘What?!’

The Regalia swerved to the left, entering into the fields. The entire vehicle tremored as it drove through rough terrain, the Regalia wasn't built for such environment although it was built to withstand rough handling. Gladiolus uttered under his breath as he shifted an agonized Ignis into his arms.

‘You can’t be serious.’ Gladiolus caught Noctis’s eyes on the rearview mirror.

‘Watch me.’ The Regalia flew off a rocky perch.

Prompto yelped and Gladiolus braced himself when it hit the ground with a crash. A Coeurl appeared from the corner sprinting for them head on, it was estimated that they were at 8 feet at best and would close in within a few seconds by the speed they were driving. Noctis dropped the gear and popped the clutch, the body of the Regalia pitches sideways as it was steered sharply to the right and hits the beast with its full impact and stunning it. There was no moment to waste, they had lost speed in lieu of disabling the Coeurl who could have used its lightning ability.

‘How’s Iggy?’ The Regalia wheels dig into the earth and they sped off before the beast recovered.

Ignis peeled open his eyes, he was close enough to see Gladiolus’s face looking down at him and holding him. Too close. Ignis's lips pressed in a thin line as he stifled a groan when another bump made his stomach lurch, he tried to move away from Gladiolus. The vehicle made another aerial jump and hit hard, all around him seem to spin and forcing him to shut his eyes and writhe inwardly.

‘Sooner you get us there, Noct. Your driving’s going to be the death of him.’ Gladiolus said, Ignis fought another urge to retch, his fingers dug onto the leather jacket. All dignity aside, he was doing his best not to gag on Gladiolus. Another hard bump on the path, his shoulders shook as he stifled a wave of coughing that threatened to escape. ‘Shit Iggy,’ He heard Gladiolus uttered, he felt a hand curling on his waist, this time Ignis didn’t try to resist when he felt his face pulled closer to Gladiolus’s chest. ‘Sorry, just .. bear with it.’ Gladiolus muttered.

He had little recollection of what happened afterwards with only vague pieces of memories in his feverish state, Prompto had called out that the Magitek ships crashed at each other at some point, there was some cheering and then the ride became smoother when Noctis drove back to the main road. His stomach had settled down, allowing him to part his lips to breathe in more and focused on numbing the pain on his side. Prompto had then announced that he could see the outpost from the distance, Ignis remembered he had relaxed his grip on Gladiolus’s jacket and opened his eyes to find Gladiolus staring at him. It was not the first time he had seen such warm eyes and that smile, an expression of silent relief after a harrowing battle although it was not in such close distances before.

‘You’re going to be alright, Iggy.’ Gladiolus said.

Ignis remembered smiling back at Gladiolus, a wave of relief washed over him as well, knowing that they have reached civilization, ‘You are all safe...’ His voice came out in a soft whisper as he slipped back to unconsciousness, ‘ ...that’s all that mattered..’

 

* * *

 

He awoke by nightfall in a motel, the lights were off but he could still make out the silhouettes of the furniture and size of the room they were in. By the bustling sound and lights outside the window, they had decided to take lodging in a motel in Lestallum close to an eatery. He could faintly detect the smell of curry.  A blanket was placed over him, and he felt a towel over his forehead. The little amount of moisture could mean it had been there for a good handful of hours. Someone had changed his shirt, the fabric was softer meant for casual wear in Altissia. He felt a bandage on his torso where he hurt his rib, it never occured to him that it was bad enough that a bandage is required. He pulled away the towel and placed a bare hand over his forehead, it was still warm. He sighed over this.

‘Iggy?’ Noctis’s voice was close to his left.

‘I’m here.’ His voice cracked. He calmly grab at the hand when it reached out to touch his forehead. ‘I know, Noct. I’ll rest.’

Noctis chuckled softly, ‘Good. I’ll change the towel.’ Ignis held his hand in place, there was a small pause. ‘What is it, Iggy?’

‘Make sure you rest too.’ Ignis squeezed his hand gently before he let the Prince withdrew, ‘You are far more stubborn than me when you are sick.’

‘Whatever.’ Noctis tched and went to the bathroom with the towel.

Ignis sat up slowly, swallowed thickly when he felt the room spin again. ‘Could you turn on the lights as well.’ He felt his rib bemoan of having to sit up that he had to place a hand over to calm the pain.

The room was awashed with light as Noctis turned the switch on, the sudden glare of light caused Ignis to flinch. His glasses was nowhere in sight. ‘Here’, Noctis held out a glass of water on one hand, the other holding a damp towel. Ignis took the glass of water and Noctis sat down on the armchair next to the bed.

There was a minute of silence between the two until Ignis finished the drink.

‘How much is the repairs going to cost.’

‘Not alot.’ Noctis cleared his throat and fidget abit in his seat.

Ignis sighed, changing the subject. ‘Was it a dream that two Magitek ships collide against each other?’

The beam in Noctis’s eyes was bright and Ignis couldn’t help but smile.

Noctis recounted how he had timed the arrival of the Magitek ships, taking into account the unusual frequency in their appearance in this region. He drove the Regalia and maintain a speed, slow enough for the first Magitek ship to continue chasing after them. He had guessed that the ships were run by purely programmed machinery with loaded data of existing terrains and structures. All he had to do was navigate around the field and wait for the second ship to come in while the first one was hot on his trail. The second ship appeared not long after, and with both ships started following him, he had made a sharp turn and pulled full speed to drive under the second ship and braked to a halt. There was not enough time for the two ships to change their course. Noctis stepped on the gas pedal and switched gear, speeding off before the two ships crashed down on them. Two ships would be counted as an accident, a possible glitch, it should buy them some time for a few days while Niflheim figures out why their two ships ended up on a collision course. Three ships might raise suspicion.

‘There was dust everywhere when I made those sharp turns.’

‘It’s called drifting.’ Ignis stifled an itching cough that escaped him, he waved off at Noctis when the Prince became worried. He was fine. ‘That was brilliant by the way.’

‘You think so?’ Noctis rubbed his nose, ‘I mean, of course I would know this.’

‘And pray tell how do you learn all of this maneuvers?’

‘I kind of watch how you drive a few times at Insomnia.’ Noctis looked away, embarassed and rubbing the back of his neck. They have had close-call moments in the city before, navigating on the streets from mercenaries and hired bounties that had slipped into the city. Ignis was fully prepared and trained to handle what he called small inconveniences. The Regalia had been modified several times to improve its performances. ‘It’s not that hard once you learn how things worked, you just sort of know how to apply it.’

‘If only you have this much attention to your studies.’ Noctis groaned at the remark.

Ignis chortle lightly, ‘And what do you plan to do these next few days while your advisor is recovering?’

‘I think there’s something planted on those lamp posts.’

Ignis stared at Noctis. ‘Is Prompto and Gladio going with you?’

‘I was thinking of getting Prompto, Gladio should stay with you.’

‘I think Gladio has had enough of me in close proximity in one day.’ Ignis frowned abit, hopefully he didn’t threw up on him back at the car. Thinking about that ride, he was quite sure he held it in, despite the world being a rollercoaster ride for what seem like hours due to Noctis’s driving maneuvers and he was struggling to fight off the wave of nausea-

‘Iggy, you don’t look so good.’

Ignis inhaled a deep breath, recalling the ordeal was making his current state worse, he closed his eyes, ‘I’m fine, just, why Prompto only?’

‘Prompto and I are fast on our legs, not saying Gladiolus isn’t but, the two of us are about the same built as most of the folks here. We could have been mistaken for one of the hunters. We always seen them in pairs in some parts back in Leide.’

‘I supposed you would still have gone ahead even if I objected.’

‘I’ll bring more potions.’ A towel dabs on Ignis’s temple, ‘You’re starting to sweat again,’

‘I need a map.’ Ignis took the towel from Noctis, the job of mothering is something he quietly refused to relinquish to the Prince. ‘This region is larger than Leide, at least, let me study the map.’

‘I will. And I won’t go far.’ Noctis assured his Advisor as he lie back down with a towel draped over half his face, Noctis helped to adjust it properly. ‘We gotta stay close in case Gladiolus needs our help.’

‘Your Highness, I assure you-’

‘It’s to stop you from running around and panicking because we’re out of your sight.’ Noctis backed away quickly before a hand blindly reaches out to peg his ear, he chuckled when Ignis caught on air instead.

‘Good night, Specs.’ Noctis switched off the lights.

‘You better not go too far.’

 

* * *

 


	2. 02

‘Look after Iggy when we’re gone. I gave him a map to make him happy.’ That was what Noctis said to him.

Gladiolus didn’t visit the room where Noctis and Ignis stayed in. He walked down the steps, cut across the alley to reach the marketplace that was filled with the air of spices and fruits. The warm weather had him come out in a tanktop and his built made it difficult to navigate through the crowd. After almost ten minutes, Ignis was still nowhere to be found inspecting the stalls for new spices or herbs. Instead, he finally found the Advisor sitting in a corner of one of the eateries nearby with coffee, pencil and newspaper as silent companions and most likely had spotted him and chose to ignore him.

He sat at an angle that faced most of the incoming crowd, the old man who greet the patrons was to his right at the back and the stall tenders behind him. Had anyone lurked behind him, Ignis would be able to tell from the small pause of the stall tenders who had developed a rhythm when they tended the food. Gladiolus shook his head as he joined the table, greeting the old man as he does so. Ignis’s tenacity to be independent was borne from his foresight and tact, making use of the natural environment and adapting it to his advantage. He could have been a manipulative tactician had he been born in Niflheim and raised in the military capable of razing towns and villages just for the Emperor’s bidding.

‘Good morning, Gladio.’ Instead, the Crowned City’s Advisor cooks, cleans and mothers over the Prince.

‘I trust that you were requested to look after me?’ Ignis’s warm smile on Gladiolus was a contrast to the Shield’s that day, it bordered between cordial greeting and predatory assessment, proving the Crowned City’s Advisor is still just as deadly in words as he is in combat.

Gladiolus sat to Ignis’s left, better to have a more reliable eye than an old greeter. ‘You don’t look like you slept well.’ It was a hint that Gladiolus had picked up on Ignis’s demeanor. Ignis had opted to sit down instead of walking around because he was exhausted from his condition.

‘I’ve had worse days.’ Ignis dropped the pencil and reached for his coffee, too sweet for his liking but it will do. The sugar will keep his glucose level from dipping.

Gladiolus stared at the newspaper and leaned forward to see clearer.

Ignis had used a pencil to trace the outline of the map onto the newspaper with markings where the lamp posts, transmission towers and power grids are, too faint for anyone to peep unless they are nearby due to the color of the news article and the graphite pencil. Maintaining a low tone so only the Shield could hear, Ignis started, ‘Noct believed that there’s some sort of bug planted on the lamp posts.’

‘And you believed he’s not far off on that regard.’

‘A sensor of sorts that picks up the speed of the motor’. Ignis pushed up his glasses, taking up the pencil once more.

‘These sensor helps to pick up the speed and send a feedback somewhere, which means there’s one more that acts as the main receiver.’ He drew up a diagram to elaborate and put his thoughts into visuals. ‘This main receiver gathers the data then using a simple algorithm to calculate the average speed of a vehicle, triangulates the next possible location where the vehicle would be based on the speed it is preserving. ’

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow, ‘That’s one hell of a probability.’

‘But there’s more.’ Ignis took another sip of the coffee and added on. ‘I believed it takes into account the type of beastiaries in the area, those that we can sourced for food and parts which we can sell for a higher price. It’s factored as a five to ten per cent probability.’

‘That’s how they knew where we were even when we parked further away from the bounty hunt that day.’

‘And how Noct was able to lure the second ship in by maintaining a constant speed and forced them to collide with each other. The speed we were travelling was faster than any other vehicle, the sensors picked up on that. The ship was using a similar formula but reacts faster to keep up with a fleeing vehicle, but it did not react fast enough to avoid a collision course.’

‘I hated how he drives that day. Did you teach him that?’

‘Noct is observant and practical. He just refuses to put in the effort unless circumstances pushes him into a corner.’

‘Yeah, I noticed you liked to do that to him. Push him into a corner.’

‘If he had taken more initiative, I wouldn’t have to.’

‘So now what? We drive slower this time?’

‘Not necessarily. We just need to extract the main receiver and see how we could delay its transmission.’

‘Is that even possible?’

Ignis paused and sat back, ‘I supposed we could ask around and enquire if it is even possible.’ He reached for his phone and checked the time. ‘Let’s do that now.’

‘Are you sure sure about this?’ Gladiolus asked.

‘If you are worried about my current state, I have you just in case, correct?’ Ignis rises up from his seat, taking the now empty cup of coffee to return it to the old man. The old man would have cleared the table as he always do but building familiarity with the locals adds advantage to his favor.

‘I don’t want you puking on me again, that’s all.’ Gladiolus sighed as he stood up.

Ignis froze when he saw the resigned look on Gladiolus’s face.

Gladiolus didn’t miss a beat and broke into a laugh, the look on the proud Advisor’s face was a rare show of flushed awkwardness that he felt privileged to be the only one out of the main group to have witnessed it. And at the same time, he witnessed first hand those green eyes sharpened into an icy pierce, Ignis looked about ready to cut his affiliation to Lucis and eviscerate him into ribbons.

‘Let’s go.’ Ignis sheathed his words to a neutral tone, folding the newspaper, they had more pressing matters at hand.

They spent the first half of the day assessing which store had the most experienced staff by asking questions about Ignis’s supposedly spoilt phone. The Advisor played it off as  receiving signal errors when he was on the road. Then comes loyalty appraisal, again another subtle play of theatrics on Ignis’s part which Gladiolus played along. They wanted to be sure they could go to someone in confidentiality. Ignis then suggested that Gladiolus speak to the hunters, asked for help to cover the bulk of the recon as there were too many for just four people to locate.

It was easy for the Shield to meet up with the hunters and did what Ignis asked him to do, except when Gladiolus found Ignis later on, the latter was leaning against the wall almost hidden from public eyes. He was sweating under a shade with one arm wrapped over where his rib was bandaged. ‘Iggy.’

‘What have you gathered so far?’ There was a glazed look on Ignis’s eyes, he was tiring out and holding it in.

‘They’ll do it for free, they just need to know what to look out for. I dropped in Dave’s name and a few others that we ran into back at Leide, especially those that were stranded. Remember that lady that we found near that giant bird’s nest near Galdin Quay? She’s here too. She was pretty stoked when she saw me, she sent her regards.’

‘I’m glad she’s faring well.’ Ignis said, a tired smile as he was composing his breath with effort.

‘You know what I’m going to say to you.’ Gladiolus muttered under his breath and turned around to the crowd just to be sure no one else is listening in. There are limits to a man’s patience and tolerance to another’s stubbornness and his own frustration was starting to leak in despite trying not to. ‘Look-’

‘Gladio, I understand.’ Ignis placed a hand gingerly on the man’s arm, he looked up and sighed softly. ‘How about this, I returned to the eatery and wait for you. We do need to grab ahold of those things and me joining you would be risky as I could be a liability. It’s better for me to be at a public area until Noct or you arrived to escort me back to the motel compared to leaving me alone in a room with no one to help me. If my health should deteriorate at the eatery, the old man would be able to help me and alert Iris although I do not want to cause more inconvenience for her especially after Jared’s passing.’

Gladiolus wasn’t buying into that facade. ‘Why do I have this feeling that leaving you alone is a bad idea.’

‘There’s plenty of food and drinks to keep me occupied while I wait for you.’ Ignis smiled. ‘Noctis..is coming back soon, right? He said he won’t travel far.’ That last tone was more uncomfortable than when he glared at Gladiolus back at the eatery.

‘Yeah, I’ll likely run into him and he won’t be happy that I left you alone. We could rent a chocobo and you can just ride with me.’

‘As much as I enjoyed how close our hot and sweaty bodies are that day, Gladio, I am a liability if I followed you.’ Ignis shrugged letting go of Gladiolus.

‘I questioned your alignment sometimes.’ Gladiolus raised an eyebrow.

‘Always and forever will be, a loyal Lucis.’ Ignis handed the newspaper to Gladiolus. ‘Time’s a wasting.’ He had marked a few lamp posts and towers further from Lestallum that would have the bugs. It was only logical that it would be planted away from civilization.

With Ignis left to his own devices, there was no more need for a facade and Ignis sank at the chair back at the eatery and rubbed the bridge of his nose. If Noctis did scout nearby, he should run into Gladiolus who will then relay Ignis’s theories and keep them up to speed. And if they put two and two together, they would hurry back.

‘Thank you.’ Ignis smiled tiredly at the old man when a herbal tea was offered instead.

An hour passed and he debated whether he should text Noctis and Gladiolus to check in on them but decided not to risk it. Worries were starting to nag on him despite his attempts to calm himself. It did him no good, and afterwards he walked around the stalls instead and bought spices, a few of which he could use to alleviate his ailment. He would have recovered within a few days with enough rest, but that was a luxury he could not afford. If their plan succeeds, Noctis would be able to drive and they can go about their journey without a Magitek ship dropping in every few minutes just because they make a pit stop. Ignis would be able to rest by then.

The crowd and the sweltering heat would finally steer the Advisor away, he split away from the marketplace when nausea became too unbearable and his stomach started to churn. The walls was his support while his side started to throb once more and he slipped into a deserted alley to catch his breath. With no one around, there was no more need to put up pretenses, Ignis moved further inwards into the city’s back alleys and sank down at a corner to empty his stomach contents.

Another hour passed when he heard a sound in a corner. Ignis drew in a shaky breath and opened his eyes, a man in his 30s, the very visage of a varmint incarnate reeking of grime and destitute. Easily mistaken for a beggar with tattered outfits the color of the Duscaen soil, Ignis however picked out the musculature underneath the harsh and caked dirt that stuck on the man’s skin. Compared to Ignis’s towering height, the man was small in built but the Advisor is never one to undervalue appearances.

‘Not one for chatter, I reckoned.’ Ignis stood up, his vision swam as he took a step forward and he steeled himself. When the man withdrew the two daggers from his back, Ignis’s daggers materialized and clashed head on with the smaller man’s attack. The air sang of sharp metal cutting through the silence as both knew that the blades of each other would be stained in venom. The assailant avoided steering Ignis to any clutter to ensure that their fight’s noise pollution is kept to a minimum and Ignis knew the man was drawing out the battle, to put the Advisor on his last legs.

Ignis made a stumble when he avoided the assailant’s dagger. It gave the man an opening and he leapt to close the distance between them. A swinging kick plants the heels firmly in Ignis’s center and another digs into front teeth.

Ignis’s specs flew and his world spinned in a dizzying tumble of pain as he crashed to the ground face first, he felt wet copper and dirt in his taste. He clutched at his side, gasping in painful breaths, when he heard the man spoke, ‘Just business, no offense.’ Ignis looked up to the man as he rolled to his back, he bit his lip to suppress the pain that swelled to his chest and making him harder to breathe.

‘Niflheim pays you more that you would do something like this?’ Ignis gasped in pain, a wave of coughing fit threatened to explode through his burning throat.

The man smirked. ‘It’s a decent amount, eventhough all I had to do was collect information. But hey, I used to kill for a living.’ The dagger shines under the sunset, the man’s yellowed eyes glint in raptor delight as he stalked over to Ignis. The Advisor succumbed to his coughs, cringing in pain from the burning lungs and bleeding throat as he crawled away from the man and leaving a trail of  blood that stained the floor. ‘If I could bring the head of one of Lucis’s royals, I’ll be set for life.’

Ignis stopped crawling and locked eyes with the man. While his voice crackled in raspy vocals, it carried with an underlying intent, ‘Your job was to gather data on the available bounties of each outpost, isn’t it?’

The man’s smirk vanished, replaced with a scowl.

‘The missing ten percent.’ Ignis laughed despite the agony he was in, he coughed and continued. ‘Niflheim won’t pay you to kill because they know you won’t be able to kill the targets they wanted. You are so desperate for miserable amounts of gils, you took up on this degraded job. You convinced them that you are capable of doing all of this so they won’t hire more.’

A boot lodges hard on his tender rib, an agonized groan escaped his lips as his entire body curled in excruciation from the impact. The earth and sky spun in shades of red but he held on that look on the man, determined to hold his attention. ‘That’s why you look so dirty and miserable.’ His lungs writhe from the coughing fit. He needed to hold on just a bit more. ‘You haven’t had a decent rest, you slept in crooked corners on the wastelands to avoid the daemons at night.’ He sneered at the man, ‘You scrimp and save instead of trying to bargain for a higher price. You could have negotiated for more gils but Niflheim isn’t spending a gil more for you, not when they can use those gils to pay a more dangerous mercenary that can do the job that they wanted. So you stuck yourself to this job because no one else is going to hire you.’

‘Oh they will pay me handsomely once I give them your bleeding screaming head.’

A tap on the man’s shoulder and Gladiolus’s fist cracks the man’s jaw, the assailant crumbled unconscious.

Gladiolus held his hand out to Ignis. ‘You planned for me to leave you alone here just so you could lure him out.’

‘He was the missing factor.’ Ignis closed his eyes to stop the vision from swimming. The last thing he need is to black out. ‘It’s because he fed Niflheim the data of available bounties that they know where we would have gone.’ He grabbed Gladiolus’s hand and pulled himself up, he let out a startled cry as a shot of pain reminded of his bruised side. Gladiolus kept him steady while Ignis held his rib gingerly and stabilized his bearings, or at least try to. ‘All of Niflheim’s calculations would have had a more significant error in locating us if not for him.’ Ignis said breathlessly, his lips twisted to hold in a coughing fit that had swelled in his lungs. Gladiolus glowered at him but said nothing, only waiting to make sure Ignis would not buckled down. ‘In my current state..’ Ignis swallowed painfully, ‘ I became the weakest link and I pose no threat with you gone. With no one to help me, I became the irresistable bait he couldn’t refuse. An opportunity of a lifetime for him.’

‘Yeah Noct told me that much, that you didn’t point out the possibility of a hired help because I wouldn’t leave you alone if you did. I could have been occupied with the Magitek or something could have happened to us that took up an entire day, Iggy. You may have been able to predict and be two or three steps ahead of everyone but what happens if you miscalculated? You could have died.’ Gladiolus uttered, he inhaled a deep breathe before he spoke again, ‘He was ready to decapitate you.’

Shuffling footsteps were heard, Ignis opened his eyes briefly to see two hunters.

‘The hunters told me they spotted a man following you from the distance but they lost the both of you through the crowd.’ Gladiolus picked up the fallen specs and folded it, not returning it to Ignis.

‘And how do you find me?’

Gladiolus tched, ‘You would have lured him here to trap him and not risk any bystanders hurt. This is the only place in Lestallum that no one in their right mind should be alone here.’ Ignis smiled despite the contrast of the Shield’s. The hunters bound the unconscious man and dragged him away. There were two possible outcomes to the man’s fate and Ignis knew that they won’t reap any information that they hadn’t already known. At this point, he held no pity, life is like that for the misfortune.

Ignis felt Gladiolus’s fingers on his lips, wiping away the blood. He frowned at the man. ‘You’re burning up.’ Gladiolus mellowed in his words.

‘Where’s Noct and Prompto?’

‘They decided to look for Dave. We found what you were looking for by the way. Dave offered to help and told us to look for him here later on.’ Gladiolus held Ignis by the arm, this time the Advisor didn’t resist when he was guided back to the motel.

‘Are they hurt?’

‘Safe as a whistle. Noct didn’t want you worried sick about him.’ Gladiolus looked around before they entered the motel.

‘That’s considerate of him.’ Ignis chuckled softly then regretted it. His lips hurt and every nerve, bone and muscle in him is boiling in agony. Gladiolus was right, he was burning up and breathing was a laboured attempt. His vision still had shades of red dissolving on the corners and he imagined his eyes would be bloodshot, a possible small head trauma. A cold shower and a bed is what’s needed to recover his energy at least. ‘Gladio..I..’ He paused in his words, a tinge of flush in his cheeks. ‘..may need you to remain in the room while I bath. I’ll leave the door unlocked.’

‘Hah?’ The Shield gawked at him.

Ignis cringed inwardly.

‘Just in case.’ Ignis sighed. ‘Please don’t look at me like that.’

‘I just never really tagged you as a..’ He scrunched his thoughts abit and looked away, it was awkward enough to look at the Advisor when he made that request, he had to mentally scramble jargon in his head to coherent sentences. He continued walking, keeping a firm but careful hold on Ignis’s arm. ‘..person who would let their pride go. But then again after today’s sheniangans..I should have expected it.’

‘Ego has its uses. One must know when to hold on tightly and let go quickly depending on the circumstances.’ Ignis coughed heavily into his hand.

‘You feeling alright?’ The Shield gave a passing wave to the motel staff as they make their way to a corner that led to Ignis’s and Noctis’s room.

‘Just abit dizzy.’ Ignis managed.

‘Alright.’ Gladiolus didn’t believed him. Ignis’s words  would be an understatement, the Advisor was turning a shade of ashen.

They walked in silence until they reached down the hallway when Ignis stopped and Gladiolus looked at him. Ignis’s vision warped and darkened, and in that moment, muscle and nerves unhinged from his memory. ‘Iggy?’ Gladiolus called out, Ignis turned to him. The Shield’s expression knitted in worry, his hands reached out quickly and squeezed on Ignis’s shoulders. Ignis tried to speak but nothing escaped those bruised and dry lips, he could only see more darkness as he collapsed in Gladiolus’s arms.

 

* * *

 

Ignis’s fever returned with a vengeance.

He had repeated dreams of the Magitek ships hovering above the motel, the room was alit in flames and he was pinned down by a burning pillar. Noctis was taken away by the troops and Gladiolus and Prompto was nowhere to be found. Ignis had miscalculated, underestimated the magnitude of Niflheim’s might. How foolish could he be, he couldn’t even predict the fall of Insomnia, didn’t notice the signs enough or read between the lines well.

Ignis woke up to strong hands holding him down in the dark, disoriented from the nightmare, he clawed back at the large shadow pinning him. He ignored the pain that erupted on his healing body until consciousness settled in, reminded him of where he was and he remembered who it was that could hold him down with that much force.

‘Gladio.. Where’s Noct?’ His breathe wheezed heavily, his voice hoarse as if it ran through sandpaper. The slight cool air on Ignis’s damp skin dawned on him that he was shirtless, removed in favor for easier change of bandages.

‘In the other room, sleeping with Prompto.’ Gladiolus relaxed his hold and let go. He waited when Ignis tried to sit up and when he had trouble doing so, he leaned forward once more and supported the Advisor. ‘I didn’t want to have to deal with two sick stubborn people so I told him to switch with me before he catches your fever.’ Gladiolus took the towel and wiped away the sweat on Ignis’s face and neck. Locks of hair fell on the side of Ignis’s face and the larger man smoothen it back. ‘Plus, you keep thrashing about in your sleep, someone’s gotta hold you down. Gimme your hands.’

Ignis held out both hands and Gladiolus wiped through the fingers with the towel.

Realization dawned on the Advisor, ‘Gladio, I didn’t mean to-’

‘It’s just a scratch, Iggy, I’ll be fine.’ Gladiolus stood up and head for the bathroom. ‘Not like there’s venom in your nails or anything.’

‘How long was I out this time?’ Ignis tried to find his glasses but they were missing.

The sound of tap water being turned out, towel washed and rinsed, then a glass being filled with water. Gladiolus used the phone’s torchlight to illuminate the room softly, he offered Ignis a glass of water before he sat down and leaned back against the couch. Blots of fresh blood would start to grow on Gladiolus’s arms.‘Today’s the second day after that little stunt you pulled.’

‘It’s been four days..’ Ignis’s fingers clenched on the glass.

‘Relax.’ He reached for a first aid kit, ‘We took the bugs and the transreceiver to the mechanic, the young guy remember?’

Ignis nod and took a sip of the water, realised how thirsty he was and emptied it.

‘Turns out it was a modified LSV,’ Gladiolus continued, he applied ointment on his arms and when he was done, tucked the first aid kit where it belong. ‘He showed us and a few of the hunters that Dave trusted, how to tinker with it without too much effort. This will cause some white noise on the transreceiver. We’ve picked out the ones that we’re going to screw around on the map. Once we’re out of the region, the hunters will fix it back so Niflheim won’t know that someone’s been tampering with their stuff.’

‘It’s a sound strategy.’ Ignis agreed.

‘The hunters reported no Magitek activity within close perimeters of Lestallum, so you’re safe.’ Gladiolus took the empty glass from Ignis. ‘Do you need another drink?’

Ignis shook his head, ‘I could use the washroom however.’ A small request that Gladiolus obliged and helped the man to the bathroom then waited for him outside.

A few minutes of silence fell between the two, with Gladiolus keeping an ear out just in case Ignis needed any help. He heard the sink being turned on next, water being splashed, then the next coughing fit made the Shield entered quickly to the Advisor’s side.

‘You are a little too jumpy, Gladio.’ Ignis hunched over the sink and held his side, his shoulder rise and fall unevenly. Green eyes peeked over the wet locks of brown hair that hung over his face and seeing the state of the Shield, he softened, ‘You haven’t been sleeping because of me.’ Under the bathroom lights, he could see Gladiolus’s eyes rimmed red and glazed. There were some healing scars and fresh ones on his arms where Ignis had scratched him. Gladiolus handed him a towel to dry his face before he was completely distracted by the scars.

‘Your heart stopped beating when you collapsed,’ Gladiolus wasn’t pulling a joke this time. ‘This happened a few more times before you started having your nightmares.’ He took a step back and inhaled deeply as he looked away from Ignis when he leaned against the door frame. ‘So, matter of fact, it’s easier for me to deal with your nightmares than wondering when you might passed on in your sleep. You’ve really pushed your body too far this time, it’s breaking down if you don’t rest.’

Ignis fell silent, Gladiolus was avoiding his gaze, the quiet grimace showed in his manner even when his face seemed impassive. By duty, Gladiolus is the Shield to the Prince, that he would stand before any adversary and sacrificed himself if necessary. By family, he is the older brother to Iris, the only surviving family of Amicitia and he would be the only family to Iris. By friends, the three of them are the closest he ever had, through thick and thin, since their younger years. Losing any of them, when he could have done something to prevent it, was a fear that was raw and vividly possible in the circumstance they were in now.

A deep sigh came from Gladiolus, he closed his eyes briefly before taking a step forward to Ignis. ‘You’re still with us, alive. Noct won't forgive himself if he loses you. Or any of us. That’s why we look out for each other. We’ve lost alot of people that we care about as it is.’ A hand placed on Ignis’s shoulder, ‘Come on, let’s take you back to bed.’

Ignis followed quietly until he sat down on the bed. ‘What I did, was inexcusable.’

‘I figured as much.’

‘Yet you just accept everything, let yourself be used by me, without so much as raising a voice at me.’

Gladiolus inhaled a deep breath. ‘Remember Prompto was commenting that he imagined how you would be as a child at the marketplace?’

Ignis remembered he gave a dry reply to Prompto that he was nothing like that boy at the marketplace. He didn’t think that Gladiolus had picked up on that. And no one seemed to ask or prod more about the education that Ignis was sent to, it was as if a line was drawn between Ignis’s past and his present. Either it was out of fear or mutual respect that no one ventured beyond that line. They simply accepted Ignis for what he is and what he does.

‘You did what you had to do, I get it.’ Gladiolus exhaled, he sank back down on the couch. He was exhausted and in no mood for any theatrics or pity-play and while he normally could tolerate being played around, now was just simply not the time. ‘So even if it means using me. Even if you cannot reveal your entire plans to me..I get it.’

Ignis clutched the side of the bed.

‘Iggy. Just promise me that you don’t get yourself killed.’

‘Gladio, you..and Noct and Prompto, you three are my friends.’ Ignis looked up, ‘ The only friends I ever have met and felt that..my youth had some value and meaning beyond what I was trained for. ’ The guarded and mocking way of talking that he usually use was absent and Gladiolus picked up on it. ‘And up to the present now, you are all whom I trusted with my life.’

In the low light, the shadows framed Ignis’s silhouette and hair which cascade on the side of his face. It made him look like a teenager again with those green eyes that had an intensity in him when he stared at Gladiolus. Ignis’s words were raw and bare when he spoke again. ‘It was wrong, very wrong for me to do what I did to you. You are not a pawn in this war.’ His eyebrows knitted in a frown, ‘You are my friend and a brother even if not by blood.’

A hand reached out and messes Ignis’s hair, surprising the Advisor and stoking a small annoyance on Ignis’s part. It was undeniable that Gladiolus is the older of the group even if by a one year difference between him and Ignis.

‘It means alot to me when you say it, Iggy.’ Gladiolus said, withdrewing his hand. ‘I really don’t want to see any of you hurt.’

‘I’m really sorry, Gladio.’

‘You can pay back for all the trouble you caused me by adding more meat servings to my share.’

Despite everything, Gladiolus only wanted Ignis to not dwell on it.

‘It is a deal, then.’

The Magitek ships rarely dropped in often when they went on the road now.

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Ignis's personality was based off my first impression when the trailers came out years ago, he struck me off as someone capable of manipulating people and could have been a villain. I'm pretty glad he didn't turn out that way when the game was released, instead, he became the 'mother' of the group. So I wrote this up, hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :)


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